Spring frame construction



June 14,1955 A. MOUW 2,710,648

SPRING FRAME CONSTRUCTION Filed July 15 4 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. flyirw J72 a m June 14, 1955 A. MOUW SPRING FRAME CONSTRUCTION Filed July 15,1948 9 W 0 5 W M M s Va 0 m N W W m j 4 W M m M 3 y 4 J. a .5 v a June14, 1955 ouw 2,710,648

' SPRING FRAME CONSTRUCTION V Filed July 15, 1948 4 Sheets-Sheet s C D47 A K 'I l I l r I: l v I l i 43 M INVENTOR.

fl/Zdz'ew Maul M $41 Y/i 'flrrazwsy June 14, 1955 A. MOUW I SPRING FRAMECONSTRUCTION 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed July 15, 1948 mm; E W V w v M W 7Ill a I r WT.-- 7 3 I 3 7 1. l lfif I i Z: I] l 1'' 5 a Z k H i 1 I M Willvll 1| M W 3 z 2 2,710,648 Patented June 14, 1955 SPRING FRAMECONSTRUCTION Andrew Mouw, Huntington Woods, Mich, assignor to No-SagSpring Company, Warren Township, Mich a corporation of MichiganApplication July 15, 1948, Serial No. 38,822

4 Claims. (Cl. 155-479) This invention relates to spring assemblies, andparticularly to a spring assembly to be used on the back of a chair andthe like.

The present invention pertains to a spring assembly embodying a lightborder wire across which a plurality of zigzag springs are stretched toprovide a resilient surface disposed on a predetermined arc. The springshave an inherent set against deflection caused by being set on an arcmuch smaller than the arc remaining when the ends are stretchedoutwardly and attached to the border frame. The ends tend to draw theframe sides toward each other, and bracing means is provided to retainthe frame sides in parallel relation after the frame is mounted on achair. The frame assembly may be either connected to the chair frame inspaced relation thereto by resilient elements such as rubber, springsand the like, or the bottom edge of the assembly may be pivoted to thechair frame while the top is spaced therefrom by the resilient elements.

Accordingly, the main objects of the invention are:

to provide a unit spring assembly which is either attachable to theframe of a chair at the top and bottom by means of resilient elements soas to be movable with respect thereto or pivotally attachable at thebottom and resiliently attachable at the top so that the entire assemblymay pivot toward and from the chair frame; to form a spring assemblyfrom a light wire frame across which a zigzag spring is stretched andbraces provided to prevent the portions supporting the spring from beingdrawn toward each other; to provide a brace pivoted to the top portionof a wire frame which is attachable to a chair frame for retaining theportion parallel to the bottom frame portion which is attached to thechair; to provide a brace pivoted to the top and bottom portions of awire frame for retaining the frame portions in a parallel relationship;to provide a unit spring assembly of the aforementioned type whichincorporates a soft head rest within the wire frame, and, in general, toprovide a light spring assembly which forms one or more spring cushionsat the back of a chair which is simple in construction and economical ofmanufacture.

Other objects and features of novelty of the invention will bespecifically pointed out or will become apparent when referring, for abetter understanding of the invention, to the following descriptiontaken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure l is a View in elevation of a spring assembly embodying featuresof this invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the structure illustrated in Fig. 1, takenon the line 2-2 thereof;

Fig. 3 is a view of structure, similar to that illustrated in Fig. 1,showing a further form which the invention may assume;

Fig. 3A is a broken, enlarged perspective view of part of the structureillustrated in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the structure illustrated in Fig. 3, takenon the line 4-4 thereof.

iii)

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a spring assembly, showing a furtherform which the invention may assume;

Fig. 6 is a view in elevation of the structure illustrated in Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a view in elevation of a spring assembly showing a stillfurther form which the invention may assume;

Fig. 8 is a side elevational view of the structure illustrated in Fig.7; and

Fig. 9 is a view in elevation of a spring assembly showing a stillfurther form which the invention may assume.

Referring to the figures, a spring assembly is illustrated having a wireframe 10 of square or rectangular form welded together to form a closedframe element. The bottom edge portion 11 of the frame and the top edgeportion 12 of the frame in the embodiments illustrated in Figs. 1-4,have off-set sections 1.3 therein to which the ends 14 of zigzag springs15 are secured by clamping bands 16. The springs are set on an arc, asillustrated in Fig. 2, when stretched between the members 11 and 12, andare provided with a set which causes the springs to assume the shape ofan arc of much smaller radius. When the springs are stretched betweenthe frame portions 11 and 12, they exert an inward pull on the portionswhich are drawn inwardly toward each other.

i n Figs. 1 and 2, corner bracing wires 17 are illustrated for spanningacross each of the corners to brace the top and bottom portions 12 and11 with the side portions of the frame. This substantially reduces theamount of deflection of the top and bottom portions 12 and 11 caused bythe tension of the springs. A U-shaped wire element 18 is pivoted to thetop portion 12 by a clamping band 16, the projecting ends of whichextend below the bottom frame portion 11 and are bent inwardly at 19.

When the spring assembly is to be secured to the cross members 21 and 22of a chair frame, davenport and the like, clips 23 secure the bottomframe portion 11 in parallel pivoted relation to the cross member 22. Atthe top corners jack springs 24 or other resilient elements, secure thetop frame portion 12 to the cross member 21 of the frame. The jacksprings have one end secured to the top frame portion by the clampingbands 16, and the clips 23 secure the other end of the jack springs tothe cross member 21. A jack spring 34 is disposed between the end legsof each of the jack springs 24 and has its looped portion secured to thelooped portion of the jack. spring 24 by clip 35. The upper ends of thelegs of the jack springs 34 extend above the jack springs 24 and arelaterally bent and connected to transversely extending rods 36 by clips37, as illustrated more specifically in Fig. 3A. The rods 36 support aburlap or other fabric strip 40 which extends rearwardly from the top ofthe spring frame and is connected to the rods and the chair frame. Thestrip 40 will thus extend arcuately rearwardly from the spring frame andover the rods so as to support the chair padding and prevent the latterfrom falling down between the spring frame and chair frame. In this waythe finished chair will have a smoothly rounded top which is neat inappearance.

Thereafter, the ends 19 of the U-shaped wire element 18 are secured tothe cross member 22 by clips 23 in a manner to exert an upward pressureon the top frame portion 12, to thereby retain it in parallel relationto the bottom frame portion 11 while permitting the assembly to deflectbackwardly at the top toward the cross member 21. The spring strips 15are secured to each other and to the side portions of the wire frame 10by coil springs having hooks oneach end which engage the wire of theframe. The clamping bands 16 have an inner surface of sound-deadeningmaterial so that when they are drawn together about the wires of theframe and springs, squeaks and like undesirable noises are eliminatedfrom the assembly.

Referring to Figs. 3 and 4, a slightly different form of the inventionis illustrated, that wherein the frame has the corner element 17eliminated and a pair of bowed wires 27 is employed adjacent to the sideportions of the frame to reduce the deflection of the top and bottomframe portions toward each other. A centrally pivoted wire 28 extendsbelow the bottom frame portion 11 and is provided with a transverse end19, the same as one of the legs of the U-shaped element 13 of Figs. 1and 2. same manner to the cross members 21 and 22 of the chair frame.Coil springs 29 are substituted for the jack springs 24 illustrated inFigs. 1 and 2, the springs being secured to the corners of the frame 19by the angularly disposed corner wires 31 and to the cross member 21 byclamps 32. The wire 28 has its transverse end 19 secured to the crossmember 22 by a clip 23 to provide an upward force to the center of thetop frame portion 12 to retain it parallel with the bottom frame portion11 while permitting the top of the spring assembly to deflect toward andfrom the cross member 21.

Either of the spring assemblies illustrated in Figs. 1 and 3 may havesecured to one or both sides a wire extension element 33 that issometimes desired in the seating art. and bottom frame portions locatethe ends 14 of the spring strips and the clamping band 16 to retain themin spaced relation to each other and to prevent any shifting thereofwhen the spring assembly is mounted in furniture.

The assembly provides a resilient arched surface which is pivoted at thebottom and which deflects at the top when a load is applied thereto. Thesprings forming the arched surface will deflect as a load is applied tothe assembly and the entire assembly will deflect as the spring elements24 or 29 at the top of the frame are compressed. it is to be understoodthat other resilient structures made of rubber and like material may beemployed at the top of the frame in place of either of the springs 24 or39 shown.

In the embodiment illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6, the ends 14 of thezigzag springs 15, are secured by the clamping bands 16 to the bottomand top edge portions 11 and 12 respectively of the spring assembly wireframe 10, as previously described. The springs 15 are secured to eachother and to the side portions of the wire frame by means of coilsprings 33. The corner bracing wires 17 are provided for spanning acrosseach of the corners to brace the top and bottom portions of the springframe so as to reduce the amount of deflection thereof caused by thetension of the zigzag springs. A bowed U-shaped wire 39 is pivoted tothe top portion 12 by clips 41 and to the bottom portion 11 by clip 43,so as to maintain the top and bottom frame portions in a parallelrelationship with respect to each other.

The spring assembly is secured to the cross members 21 and 22 of achair, davenport or the like, by means of jack springs 45. which aresecured to the cross members 21 and 22 adjacent each corner thereof, bymeans of clips 47, and to the adjacent corners of the spring top andbottom portions 12 and 11 by clips 49. The vertically opposed jacksprings 45 are resiliently interconnected by means of coil springs 51,which. have one end thereof connected to the reversely looped portionsof the jack springs 51 and the other end connected to a rod 53. The rod53 thus connects the adjacent ends of the springs 51 so that the opposedjack springs are resiliently maintained in their proper relationship. Inthis way the spring assembly is resiliently connected to the crossmembers of the chair frame and the assembly may move toward and from thechair frame, as well as laterally with respect thereto, within limitsdefined by the jack springs. The spring assembly is therefore floatinglymounted with respect to the chair frame and the coil springs 51 and rods53 prevent the jack springs from moving out of The spring assembly issecured in the The offset sections 13 formed in the top i? if 4 theiroperative positions and rendering the spring mounting inoperative.

In the embodiment illustrated in Figs. 7 and 8, the spring assemblyincludes the wire frame 10, having the upper and lower portions 12 and11 connected by the side portions. A rod 55 spans the side portions ofthe frame below the upper portion 12 and has its opposite ends connectedto the side portions by clips 57. The opposite ends of the zigzagsprings 15 are connected to the lower frame portion 11 and the rod 55 bymeans of the clips 16. The corner bracing wires 17 span the cornersbetween the bottom frame portion 11 and the side frame portions and therod 55 and the side frame portions, so as to brace the rod 55 and bottomportion 11 and reduce the amount of deflection thereof caused by thetension of the zigzag springs.

A zigzag spring 59 extends arcuately between the side portions of thespring assembly frame, between the upper portion 12 and the rod 55, andhas its opposite ends connected to the frame side portions by means ofclips 61. Coil springs 63 connect the zigzag spring 59 to the upperframe portion 12 and rod 55, so that when the portion of the framebetween the upper portion 12 and rod 55 is covered, a soft chair headrest is provided. Bracing wires 65 extend between the upper bracingwires 17 and the side frame portions and are connected thereto by clips67 so as to brace the side frame portions.

When the spring assembly is to be secured to a chair frame, the clips 23secure the bottom frame portion 11, in adjacent relationship to thecross member 22. Jack springs 71, or other resilient elements, securethe side portions of the spring frame to the vertical members 73 of thechair frame. The jack springs have one end secured to the side frameportions by clips 67 and the other end secured to the vertical chairframe members by clips 75. Thus, with this modification the springassembly is pivoted at its lower end to the chair frame and can movetoward and from the chair frame at the upper end thereof, under theaction of the jack springs. Likewise, it will be appreciated that withthis construction a relatively soft head rest is provided at the upperend of the spring assembly by the cross zigzag spring 59, making thisassembly especially adapted for use in seats for use on busses, railroadcars or airplanes.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Fig. 9, the frame 10of the spring assembly is relatively wide in comparison with theaforementioned embodiments and is divided in half by means of avertically extending wire 77, which has its upper end connected to theupper frame portion 12 by clip 16 and its lower end connected to thebottom frame portion 11 by clip 16. The zigzag springs 15 have theiropposite ends secured to the upper and lower frame portions 12 and 11 onboth sides of the wire 77, by means of clip 16 and it will be noted thatwith this embodiment a greater number of zigzag springs are employedthan with the previous embodiments. Corner bracing wires 17 are providedfor spanning each of the frame corners to brace the top and bottomportions 12 and 11 with the side portions of the frame, and in additionbracing wires 79 are provided for bracing the top and bottom portions 12and 11 with the central wire portion 77. By using the plurality ofbraces and the central frame portion 77, the amount of deflection of thetop and bottom por tions of the frame, caused by the tension of thezigzag (to the cross member 21, in the manner previously described, sothat the top of the frame can deflect toward and away from the crossmember 21.

What is claimed is:

1. In a spring assembly, a rectangular wire frame having top and bottomedge portions and side portions spacing said edge portions, zigzagsprings spanning said top and bottom edge portions and providing atension which tends to draw the edge portions toward each other, wiresdisposed across the corners of the frame between the side and top andbottom edge portions for reducing deflection of the edge portions towardeach other, and a central wire element pivoted to the top edge portionand of a length to extend beyond the bottom edge portion, said centralwire element being of U-shape having the web secured to the top edgeportion and the two ends extending beyond the bottom edge portion beingflanged laterally.

2. In a spring assembly, a rectangular wire frame having top and bottomedge portions and side portions spacing said edge portions, zigzagsprings spanning said top and bottom edge portions and providing atension which tends to draw the edge portions toward each other, wiresdisposed across the corners of the frame between the side and top andbottom edge portions for reducing deflection of the edge portions towardeach other, a central wire element pivoted to the top edge portion andof a length to extend beyond the bottom edge portion, said central wireelement being of U-shape having the web secured to the top edge portionand the two ends extending beyond the bottom edge portion being flangedlaterally, and a resilient member secured to each top corner of theframe element and extending rearwardly thereof.

3. A spring assembly comprising a frame made of wire 1' having a top andbottom edge portion and connecting side portions, zigzag spring stripsspanning said top and bottom edge portions, with the ends securedthereto, a jack spring having a central coil portion and diverging armssecured to at least each of two corner portions of the frame rearwardlythereof, and wire means supported between the arms of said jack springand parallel to the top edge of said frame.

= thereof, and resilient means connected to the opposite ends of saidwire means and to said corner resilient members.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Re.21,263 Kaden Nov. 14, 1939 1,029,881 Micon June 18, 1912 1,446,453 FallsFeb. 27, 1923 1,587,199 Stoufl'er et al. June 1, 1926 1,764,967 McElroyJune 17, 1930 1,833,817 Bing Nov. 24, 1931 1,884,230 Reed Oct. 25, 19322,106,644 Menge Jan. 25, 1938 2,149,350 Kloppman Mar. 7, 1939 2,185,036Menge Dec. 26, 1939 2,233,545 Menge Mar. 4, 1941 2,234,253 Hopkes Mar.11, 1941 2,291,004 Stewart et al. July 28, 1942 2,420,220 Bartlett etal. May 6, 1947 FOREIGN PATENTS 982 Austria Feb. 26, 1900 94,280 SwedenJan. 17, 1939 232,312 Great Britain Apr. 14, 1925

